10-year-old killed in alleged murder-suicide

Published: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 08:40 AM.

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Phillip Stephens, 51, worked for Bay District Schools as a bus driver. He was hired eight years ago, according to Karen Tucker, spokeswoman for the school district.

Investigators learned Phillip Stephens was upset with wife Tuesday night, Ford said. He had threatened to commit suicide in the past, and deputies have had him involuntarily committed under the Baker Act on at least one occasion, Ford said.

According to the BCSO incident report:

Deputies responded to the Stephens home on Shady Oak Court just after 11 p.m. Tuesday and found Deborah Stephens waiting on the porch, where family members had moved Joshua. He had been shot in the forehead.

Joshua was taken to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries.

Phillip Stephens was found dead in the master bedroom. He had a significant injury to his head, investigators said.

PANAMA CITY BEACH — Investigators with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office spent the day searching for answers that may never be known.

Why Phillip Stephens decided to shoot his 10-year-old son Joshua, then turn the gun on himself late Tuesday night in a bedroom of their Panama City Beach home, is a question only he could answer, said Maj. Tommy Ford with the BCSO.

“It’s kind of one of those things where it is what it is. … I’m not sure that it’s something you can ever understand,” Ford said Wednesday.

Two teens also were in the home at the time in another room, Ford said. They are not suspects.

“All the indications are this was a murder-suicide,” he said.

According to Joshua’s account on Vine, a social network that allows users to create and share six-second videos with a smartphone, he seemed to like playing Halo, cats and going to Golden Corral.

Phillip Stephens, 51, worked for Bay District Schools as a bus driver. He was hired eight years ago, according to Karen Tucker, spokeswoman for the school district.

Investigators learned Phillip Stephens was upset with wife Tuesday night, Ford said. He had threatened to commit suicide in the past, and deputies have had him involuntarily committed under the Baker Act on at least one occasion, Ford said.

According to the BCSO incident report:

Deputies responded to the Stephens home on Shady Oak Court just after 11 p.m. Tuesday and found Deborah Stephens waiting on the porch, where family members had moved Joshua. He had been shot in the forehead.

Joshua was taken to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries.

Phillip Stephens was found dead in the master bedroom. He had a significant injury to his head, investigators said.

An earlier version of this story is posted below:

PANAMA CITY BEACH — A Panama City Beach man fatally shot his 10-year-old son, then killed kimself late Tuesday, investigators said Wednesday morning.

Bay County Sheriff's Office investigators said deputies found Phillip Stephens dead of a gunshot wound at about 11 p.m. at 2508 Shady Oak Court, according to a news release. The deputies found Stephens' son, Joshua, shot but still alive. He died a short time later at a local hospital, according to the release.

A teenage family member was also at home at the time of incident but did not witness it, investigators aid. Family members said Phillip Stephens had a history of threatening suicide.

Check back later for more details

Below is an ealier version of this story:

The Bay County Sheriff's Office is investigating what appears to be a murder-suicide on Panama City Beach in which a man shot his 10-year-old son and then himself.

Officials said the incident happened on Shady Oak Court at about 11 p.m. Tuesday night.

It is unclear what sparked the slaying.

"We're still working on that at this point," Maj. Tommy Ford said Wednesday morning. He added that other family members were in the home at the time of the incident and detectives are working with them to try and determine what happened. Ford said the father's name is Phillip Stephens.

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